Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish (born 4 March 1951 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a retired Scottish international footballer and current manager of Liverpool. Dalglish signed from Celtic to Liverpool in 1977 and later became player-manager in 1985. During his initial time at Liverpool he won seven league titles, three European cups, and five domestic cups. Because of his prolific career at Liverpool supporters gave him the name King Kenny. After vacating his post as manager of Liverpool in 1991 he came back 20 years later in 2011 to become caretaker manager after the departure of Roy Hodgson. On 12th May 2011 he signed a three year deal to become manager for the second time in his Liverpool career. Liverpool Career Dalglish joined Liverpool on 10 August 1977 for a British record fee of £440,000. He made his debut against Manchester United on 13 August 1977 in the Charity Shield which ended in a draw. He scored his first goal on his league debut against Middlesbourgh on 20 August 1977. Three days later Dalglish scored on his Anfield debut in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United. His second season with Liverpool would prove to be his most successful finding the net, scoring 21 times. Dalglish scored the winning goal in the 1981 Football League Cup Final against West Ham united. He scored the goal in the 1-0 away goal at Chelsea which clinched Liverpool's 16th first division title on the final day of the 1985-86 season. Manager Career First Term Dalglish was appointed as player-manager of Liverpool on 30 May 1985 at the age of 34. With the help of Bob Paisley, Dalglish led Liverpool to a league and FA cup double in the 1985-86 season. Liverpool failed to follow up this success in the following season however, as they completed only their third season in 15 years without silverware. Dalglish led the team to regain the league title in the 1987-88 season and won it for, what is to date the last time, in the 1989-90 season. Liverpool had also come agonisingly close to sealing the 1988-89 league title, but lost on the last day of the season at home to Arsenal- sealing the title for the Gunners instead. Dalglish also led Liverpool to victory in the FA Cup for a second time in his managerial career in 1989. During his time in charge at the club, Dalglish took steps to alter both the Liverpool squad and the gameplay employed by the team. His first foray into the transfer market saw him replace renowned but ageing full backs Phil Neal and Alan Kennedy with Steve Nicol and Jim Beglin. He moved Jan Molby into a deeper, sweeper position and began to develop a three-pronged attack, to make his team more offensive. He recruited John Barnes and Peter Beardsley in the summer of 1987 who flanked centre forwards John Aldridge, who Dalglish signed in 1987, and, later, Ian Rush, whom Dalglish resigned for the club from Juventus in 1988. Despite no fewer than five major domestic honours in his six years as manager, Dalglish's managerial tenure was also dogged by the two major disasters associated with the club. The first- the Heysel Stadium disaster (which occured when predecessor Joe Fagan was manager) meant that Dalglish never had the opportunity to lead his team in Europe due to the ban imposed by UEFA. The second was the Hillsborough disaster, which cost the lives on 96 Liverpool supporters in the semi final of what was ultimately a successful 1988-89 FA Cup campaign. Dalglish was admired by Liverpool fans for the personal support he gave to the families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. He attended many of the funerals of the victims, and at times attended four a day and was very proactive in the 'Justice for the 96' campaigns that followed. Dalglish resigned as manager of Liverpool on 21 February 1991- a move that shocked the footballing world. Liverpool's season was going well, however the team was also being criticised for failing to beat their opponents more emphatically. Dalglish's last game as manager was an FA Cup 5th round tie against rivals Everton, which finished 4-4, despite Liverpool taking the lead four times. Of his resignation, Dalglish gave this statement the day after he left the club: "This is the first time since I came to the club that I take the interest of Kenny Dalglish over Liverpool Football Club. This is not a sudden decision. The worst I could have done was not to decide. One could argue that this decision hadn't come at a good time but there is no good time in cases like this. The main problem is the pressure I put on myself because of my strong desire to succeed. The stress that comes right before and after games has got the better of me. Some might have difficulty understanding my decision but this decision stands. I would be betraying everyone if I wouldn't let them know there is something wrong. I have been involved with football since I was 17. Twenty years with the two most successful teams in Britain, Celtic and Liverpool. I've been at the front all these years and it is time to end it." Second Term After nearly two decades away from Liverpool, Dalglish returned to the club on 3 July 2009 where he was described by the club's board as having "assumed a senior role at the Liverpool Academy and will also act as a Club ambassador working with the commercial side of the business around the world." Following the departure of manager Rafael Benitez, Dalglish was asked by the board to help find a replacement. Being dissatisfied with the potential candidates, Dalglish put his hat into the ring and asked to be considered for the post. The board however chose to appoint Roy Hodgson. Hodgson's tenure was to be unsuccessful and short-lived. When new owners, the New England Sports Ventures group dismissed Hodgson in January 2011, Dalglish was appointed caretaker manager in his place. Dalglish, working alongside new coach Steve Clarke, quickly turned Liverpool's fortunes around on the pitch, despite numerous injury problems and the sale of Liverpool star player, Fernando Torres. He invested large sums of money in strikers Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll and led the club to a sixth place finish in the league, despite the club languishing in 12th place when he took over. Dalglish is largely credited with restoring a feelgood factor to the club, which had gone missing over the previous 18 months and brought a great deal of optimism amongst the fans for the future. Due to the success of Dalglish's spell as caretaker manager, he and Clarke were handed three-year contracts on 12 May 2011. Dalglish spent heavily in the 2011 summer transfer window and entered the 2011-12 season with a new-look squad. The club is now working towards regaining it's position in the top 4 of the Premier League and with it, Champions League qualification. Honours Player *Football League First Division (6): 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86 *FA Cup (1): 1985-86 *League Cup (4): 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84 *Charity Shield (3): 1979, 1980, 1982 **Shared (2): 1977, 1986 *European Cup (3): 1977-78, 1980-81, 1983-84 *European Super Cup (1): 1977 Managerial *League Championship (3): 1986, 1988, 1990 *FA Cup (2): 1986, 1989 *Charity Shield (2): 1988, 1989 **Shared (2): 1986, 1990 Individual *PFA Player of the Year: 1982-83 *FWA Footballer of the Year: 1979-79, 1982-83 *Manager of the Year award: 1985-86, 1987-88, 1989-90, 1994-95 *Inaugural Inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame: 2002 *Member of the FIFA 100 *No. 1 on 100 Players Who Shook The Kop *Scotland: 30 goals in 102 international caps (both national records) Stats Playing Manager See also *Kenny Dalglish/Transfers Dalglish Dalglish Category:Stub Dalglish